Turns out this irreplaceable ingredient can actually come to you. Who knew?

I've had plenty of milestones in my life as a home cook—the first time I made an omelet that wouldn't have embarrassed my cooking-school teachers (alas, that day arrived long after I graduated); the moment I understood that garlic needed to be sautéedbefore it was added to tomato sauce; the realization that I was routinely sticking my instant-read thermometer into the wrong part of the chicken. But none of these revelations have created the same seismic shift in my cooking as the first time I cooked with curry leaves.

If you're not familiar with curry leaves, they might remind you a bit of curry powder. But this leafy herb is world's away from an Anglo-Indian spice blend. Instead, curry leaves, which look like smaller, more delicate bay leaves, have a uniquely citrusy, nutty aroma all their own. And for South Indian cooks, they're as indispensable as chile peppers and black mustard seeds, a key component of coconut vegetable stir-fries and deeply aromatic, creamy dals.

Don't you just want to bury your face in a pile of these?

Photo by Shutterstock

My first South Indian cookbook, Savoring the Spice Coast of India, convinced me to track down these aromatic leaves. After wondering "where can I buy curry leaves," I scored them from Patel Bros., a legendary Indian supermarket in Jackson Heights, Queens. Suddenly, all those South Indian curries I'd been cooking started tasting right. (Bay leaves are often suggested as a substitute for curry leaves, but the flavor is completely, utterly different.)

But it's not always convenient to make an hour-long trek for fresh curry leaves. And the dried stuff in a jar isn't really an option: Dried curry leaves don't have any of the enchanting aroma of the fresh stuff.

Luckily, anybody Googling "where can I buy curry leaves" can relax. Just click over to Amazon. These days, the retail behemoth stocks a shocking array of super-esoteric packaged ingredients, from cult hot sauces to Filipino cane vinegar.

Until recently, I had no inkling that Amazon was also frighteningly good at stocking fresh specialty ingredients like curry leaves. For a mere $6.99, I can get a package of curry leaves delivered to my door—grown in the US and organic to boot! And because they only last about a week in the fridge, that means plenty of incentive to cook South Indian all week long. In most South Indian recipes I've cooked, they're usually added to the pan after you've sautéed some black mustard seeds until they stop popping. They cook for just a few seconds before you add ingredients like garlic, ginger, or onion to the pan to build the aromatic base of the dish. Curry leaves are also indispensable in tarkas, the flavored oils that are often used to finish curries, adding yet another layer of flavor. Bonus: Every time I sizzle a handful of those leaves in oil, they release a delightful crackle that makes me feel like some sort of curry-making wizard. That's reason enough to load up my shopping cart.